Crossing the Line
by StarryeyedRin
Summary: Len faces an important dilemma: Gumi is coming in several minutes, she's expecting him dressed in a suit and tie, and yet all he can find is his sister's tutu. His sister is who-knows-where, probably out causing mischief, and she's dressed in that suit. Now he has no choice but to rely on his ex-girlfriend Miku for help. Good luck Len. (Hints of Shoujo ai... )
1. Chapter 1

**Rated T for Rin's Swearing.  
**

_Minor notes: A word with a * next to it, means it has a description on the bottom of the story. _

_Crossing dressing on both part is involved (boy and girl) and so is very minor shoujo ai/shoujo ai references. This is not pairing centered, as Len and Rin are the main characters of_ this_ story, but there are underlining pairings and mentions such as onesided Gumi x Rin, Miku x Rin, Miku x Len, Len x Gumi._

_Note that there IS shoujo-ai/yuri in this,_ but_ no kissing scenes. (That goes for boy-girl romance too... )_

_I do remember having this on here briefly, before deciding it wasn't good enough. I decided to completely re-write it, and so this is the final copy, a 6,000 worded fanfic._

_If you ever have any suggestions for improvement, critiques, constructive criticism, please let me know what you think about this story (plot wise, grammar wise, anything! )__ If you liked the story, I'm glad. Please send me your thoughts, and as always..._

_Thank you for listening. _

**Crossing the Line**

It's_ not everyday where_

_Family and friends alike_

___Become strangers in the se__a..._

He went putter putter down the streets of Cryptonaria. She went stutter stutter with him, like an old vehicle gone bad.

He swung ropes in his imaginary land. She strummed vinyl like an old record player. He played Tarzan at the edge of the cliff- and she played old casette tapes of rock and roll. He played games of lost and found, and she found herself fantasizing adventure in her songs.

He played tunes on a whim... and she played adventure, finding ways to tame the wild beast dominating her. She was entangled, never denied in his heart, and he was full of love. She was willing, and he was adventurous enough, to pursue her tiny little heart. And it was good... very good...

She asked him out, he told her okay. She kissed his lips, and he still obeyed. He became James Bond* fighting off the worries around her. And that, was in a sense... very okay. Extremely okay... in fact, it was definitely okay.

She grew tired of him, and he never grew tired enough. She was too demanding, he was too willing. He was too sensitive, and she was too rough... His adventure had come to an end... and his destiny was foretold.

They had broken up.

He broke up, and she was hurting. He was unfit, and she was a nightmare. She was a criminal, and he was the victim. And it was all a trap, waiting to happen.

She was the nightmare waiting to arrive. He was a weak-willed dreamer, trembling at her feet. She gut him like a knife wound, and he had taken too many shots to the foot. He could no longer go adventuring in their world.

He forgave her, but she would never ever forgive him. She had her way more than he had his. She was prideful, and he was confined to a cage. It was never meant to be.

Her beautiful blue eyes and teal hair would never amount to her selfish heart.

But still...

Who was she?

She was Miku Hatsune.

**Crossing the Line**

When he was little, he loved to play adventure games.

He would pretend to be a historian trampling his foot into the rough pacific. He'd make discoveries- like glasses that were left behind by travelers. He'd walk through caves and jump up rocks to gaze at a beautiful scenery. The boy he'd been was quite content of his way of traveling, until he'd fallen a long ways down from the inside of a cave, got bitten by four spiders, and then ended up with a skidded knee and a broken wrist. Ever since then, adventuring had been completely out of his mind.

He still dreamed of the great outdoors, but in reality, he'd been holed up drawing scenery pictures. It'd been a shame, but he'd not cared- drawing was intimate. It was as private as it was personal- despite him getting the guts to share with friends. He enjoyed it even more than going outside- to the point of where like his sister, he'd grown pale as a vampire!

And yet, despite all this, he'd long realized he couldn't spend the rest of his life trapped in his room. _Welcome to the world of technology. _He'd think Rin would mutter.

His head slowly turned to where Rin's room was, only a door away from his. She'd probably be fairly confident of this fact, no questions asked! She was fairly gifted with technology and the likes, and was also an avid gamer, who even created her own gaming mods! She was extremely creative, more so than him sometimes, always creating her own characters, or working in MMD (which stood for MikuMikuDance, non the less. He was sure she'd teased Miku about it. ) with creating models. She had a lot of talent, though Len never saw her works. He always figured that modding was her own privacy.

He sighed. The moment she had broken up with Miku, Rin had started to act a bit unusual. It was in the sense that she was more quiet, and holed up in her room than usual. He figured it was because her and Miku were friends, and now that he and Miku were no longer together, she'd feel awkward talking to her. He'd hadn't cared if they were friends, but he worried a bit about Miku's strategies. She'd condoned him to a strand of nothing in their relationship, after all. And he had been left dangling on a thread, until she silenced him.

Rin knew everything. Her blue eyes were full of the truth. But yet, she still disobeyed his warnings, and proceeded to talk to Miku. Even further, she still hanged out with Miku, and they had been such good friends, she'd hole up the two of them in her room and talk girl things- and Rin was never like a girl. And even still, she stopped talking to him. She spent more time with Miku, than she had with him!

And even then, it was never unusual. Rin was a lonely girl, and her life had been full of loneliness. But Len sometimes wondered, sometimes _pondered _her ways of life. Staying indoors... refusing to talk to him. What could come next? Indeed, what could possibly happen... what was the worst thing she'd do?

Maybe he didn't want to know.

She had friends who weren't girls, and she treated them just like he would treat a friend. Kaito and Rin were great friends- possibly even greater than Miku, and they _stayed _friends, never talking it further. When Kaito and Rin were in the room, they always kept the door slightly cracked. His parents were paranoid about having a hormonal 16 year old boy in the room with a small 14 year old girl. Even further, Rin had invited Piko over one night alongside Katio, and their mother was up at arms. But Len never denied it- they were only friends.

Rin would spend the last few days conceptualizing video game ideas and discussing gaming techniques. She show them her latest game informer magazine and then they'd discuss the latest games. They'd leave the door wide open, and it would show the world her messy room she'd never cared about. They'd discuss why politics were stupid, and sometimes, things that Len or Rin did not know previously. Then she'd talk Skyrim* and the latest Skyrim mods, and Len would instantly become disinterested.

When her and Miku were in that room... it was like a light came on. She became a whole different person. They'd shut the door and lock it, and become very very noisy- contrasting to the usual sophisticated, calm self. It was always different, and it was never the same. He'd grown uninterested in peeping in their conversations- they were very mudane. _Let Rin be a girl, _he figured. _It's better for her to be happy than for me to be sane._

And yet... there were times where all went quiet. It was odd, but Len got used to it. Not a peep to be heard from her lips. Miku sometimes spent the night, and on these days, the nights were very calm and peaceful.

But not all nights were peaceful.

One day, he heard a door slam.

And screaming.

Lots of screaming.

He could pick up swear words, but couldn't tell from who. He was startled, so he ran to find out, but it was too late and Miku had already been out the door and into her car. Rin screamed out of rage- he'd not seen her so mad for the longest time- and she'd bashed her fist into the wall and left a mark, and when he asked what was the matter, she turned to him and her eyes twitched more than can count.

She screamed at him.

"Damn it, it's all your fault! All of it is your fault! You dated her, you ruined her life! You ruined MY life." Rin screamed.

"Wh-what?"

"If you would have just listened to her, and obeyed her- I wouldn't be in this mess! It's all your damn fault."

"W-wait... R-Ri-"

"You're always up to no good, you no good for time bastard! Someone should teach you and thing or two about self-confidence you self-centered dick head!"

"Rin- I- I-"

"Shut up. Your face spoils me enough. I'm going to my room!"

Len was silent now, with his jaw wide open.

"What the hell, Rin? Are you TRYING to make me mad?"

"_Just get out of my face!" _She screamed, slamming the door.

It was an awkward silence that not even Len could speak. With pursed lips, he made his way back to his room and slammed the door shut. He crept back in the corner of the room, and slowly blinked.

_What had she been saying?_

Somewhere, he ached, mostly for her- she must have been in a terrible mood. When she was in a bad mood... she said certain words or phrases that made him feel bad. However, this time- he was hardly affected. What she had said was hurtful... but he didn't cry over it. She was just in one of her moods.

He realized she hadn't been this way since... well... since their cousin Rui had gotten in a huge scramble with her. Over what? Well, Len didn't know... He decided not to invade her space, since she'd yell at him anyway.

And yet, she was so angry this time, he knew Miku had something to do with it. She must have done something horrible to her, but what it was, he just couldn't tell...

None the less, he decided not to worry about it.

**Crossing the Line**

Gumi and him had been dating for dating for several weeks, and were still going on strong. Like him, she craved adventure- wanting to pursue an adventure downtown. Gumi desired more time with him, so she would get him over here. They'd lean on the balcony of her apartment and watch the shooting stars fall across the sky. They'd buy tickets to see the latest movies, and he'd enjoyed taking her out to the beach and letting the waves crash under neigh their bare feet. They'd take off their socks and shoes and dance with the sand underneath their heels, and it'd be such a good time. Then they'd laugh, and tackle each other onto the ground, like the merry happy couple they were.

In the summer, they'd build sandcastles at night on the beach, and then ruin their creation, only to build it again, with the moonlight glowing on their skin. Gumi would take his hand, and she'd tell him:

"You make me so happy, Len..."

And he would just smile and laugh, and it'd be all right.

Whenever she takes him adventuring, there's a special place in his heart, that only is saved for her. His heart goes "pha-dump, pha-dump" and his face turns red, but it's never out of fear, and it's never out of embarrassment... there's something special about her, and it makes him rich with an emotion that swells inside of him. He enjoyed spending time with her, because there was something about her that was so majestic and magical. Something he enjoyed so much.

Whenever he saw her, he could feel himself loosen up, as if all the worries in his life had crumbled away and were now floating away. At the same time, he felt himself begin to tighten with tension, but a good type of tension...

He'd only felt this way lately. Lately adventuring with Gumi had become very different, and he knew they were dating- but it no longer felt like an average date. It felt like a journey had arrived, one that was full of beauty...

On the day she were to come over to embark on a journey, he ended up waking up with a sure smile on his face. He decided to crawl his way through to his clothes, still sleepy enough to sleep with one eye, when he realized that the much needed outfits that he needed to dress up in, were gone.

It wasn't too unusual, he knew. His mother could have taken them to the wash, she was a cleaning freak at that. But he also knew that she had been gone for the weekend due to work, leaving them to do their own laundry. But it could have also been misplaced... even though his room hardly could misplace anything.

Still, his entire wardrobe was missing from his room.

He never had too much to wear, but even then- he could feel himself crawl in fear. Yet even then, he was calm, despite the side of him that wanted to scream out a bunch of swear words. He wanted to deny his fear, but he knew the consequences. Gumi would be here in very little time to waste, and he had nothing left- not even his dignity.

He realized that Gumi would be here any second. He couldn't catch her wonderful face full of blissful shock once she's stumbled upon his pajamas. He realized, there was no choice but to call her and explain to her the truth.

_What else can I do? I can't possibly go in my pajamas! _His thoughts screamed.

He slightly began to shook. It was cold, and he desired a coat. His pajamas on the back of his skin, were the only clothes remaining after all- and Gumi would be here in several minutes! What else could he do but to call her? He certainly couldn't go in his pajamas!

Then he realized... he fitted Rin's clothes... and if he fitted Rin's clothes... why not take some of her clothes and-

No.

Her mood was absolutely terrifying. She'd been a sobbing fit all night long, and taking some of her clothes... cross dressing despite her wearing sweaters... was just impossible. She'd bark at him last night, just as she had the night before, and the night before. Rin was acting like her pet cat had died... absolutely terrible. Just what had Miku done to her to make her so upset?

She'd been giving him the silent treatment when she wasn't yelling at him, and her anger had become increasingly explosive. He understood Rin played a lot of violent video games for a long period of time... but she had never been this bad before!

She hadn't even called over Kaito or Piko in days. She was isolating herself in her room... and if he wasn't concerned, he wasn't sure what it was. He felt sorry... in a way.

He wondered if she had something to do with the occurrence of his missing attire. All his clothes, down to even the ugliest sweater, were gone... as if someone had not wanted him to go to the movies.

He'd have to tell Gumi what happened.

And yet, when he reached for his cellphone, that was missing as well. They didn't have a home phone... so he'd have no choice but to dial with Rin's cellphone...

He started to feel bitter. But maybe he just misplaced his phone. He checked his closet, top to bottom, and yet none of his things were in site. Rin couldn't have taken them, could she? He knew she was angry, but it made no sense for her to take his clothes, unless she were washing them in the wash, which she did sometimes. No, she couldn't have taken them...

He thought back to when she had invited Kaito over. Kaito had a knack for fancy clothes, so it seemed like he had been the one to steal his wardrobe... but why his ugly Christmas sweater too? It just made no sense!

Now he was getting irritable. Pissed even.

Kaito had to have something to do with it. He'd been talking about, the other day, how well he liked his wardrobe. He hadn't been over in a week, but he just noticed the change this morning, so if he'd stolen his attire, he must have had a reason for it. But... blaming it on him with no evidence seemed odd...

Still... his anger had risen even more. He'd talk to Rin, he had no choice! The previous night they'd be squabbling about some deep topic... but he'd repressed it so much, that he forgotten it. It had hurt his feelings so much... he'd actually felt tears come out of his eyes. But yet, Rin had always had trouble communicating her fears. Maybe she was worried he hated her. He didn't.

He got out of his room and knocked on the door to her room. When there was no reply, he tried to open the door, realizing it was locked. Was no one inside? That was strange. Needless to say, he had no choice but to conduct a trick he had learned when he was younger.

He grabbed a bobbypin from the bathroom and stuck it into the hole of the door. He fiddled with the lock, struggling to get it undone, but when he did, he attempted to open the door.

It was barricaded from the other side.

He felt a little bit queasy, wondering if Rin had gone over the line and now was trying to- no. He couldn't think of it like that. He'd have to walk outside. He'd have to see if there was an open window.

He knew Rin was acting extremely suspicious, he hoped she were okay, and hadn't gotten into any bad habits... he hoped that she was just extremely angry, and hadn't gotten to be like her cousin, who's attempted suicide before...

He saw an open window on the first floor.

It linked to her room.

He jumped to get a view of her room.

No one was there.

The first thing he noticed was she had stuffed her closet in the door way. The second thing he had noticed, was a mad made mess of her clothes. He ached for a close view of her computer, but it wouldn't be likely until he actually got into the room.

Needless to say, he lowered himself for just a moment before boosting himself onto the ridge and jumping through the window.

Her room was disastrous... it wasn't anything unusual, but the computer was on, and Rin _never _left her computer on when no one was around.

He walked over to it and sat down, seeing the message pop up on the screen and his eyes became bigger than saucers.

"_Okay Len, I'll see you there!~"_

He could feel himself begin to bustle up in rage.

It was his email account.

She had hacked into HIS email account... and was talking to Gumi through IM.

Impersonating HIM!

All the pieces of the puzzle came together. He ended up realizing just how painful he must have been to her. She was now trying to get back at him- by messing around with his waredrobe! Did she dare crossdress in one of his best outfits? What kind of girl decides to go on a date with her brother's girlfriend? Why would she dare do this? Didn't he know that she was ruining his experience? He loved her, he loved Gumi! He had so many good memories with her! Why would she want to ruin all of that?

He had so many questions... none the less, he knew what to do.

_Minor notes:_

_James Bond – Popular secret agent type character, stars in movies like Skyfall._

_Skyrim – A fantasy video game that is fairly popular for it's good storyline and graphics. Has a good sense of realism. Is modded quite frequently, and is encouraged by the creators: Bethesda. _

_This story has been split to two parts. Expect the second chapter with the first.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

Gumi had never came to his house that evening. He knew that for a fact. Rin must have told her she'd meet her there, or go to her house. He had no clue what she'd done. Maybe _she _had no clue what she'd done. He'd known such rage that had built up between her had been obvious, but with what cost, he could not find until it was too late. Why hadn't he thought of this earlier? Well, obvious reasons...

He thought of Gumi being helpless in her arms. Knowing Rin when she's angry, she'd do _anything _to get back at him. Or her foes. Would she steal Gumi's first kiss? His heart ached. No... why would she do that? She'd never be so cruel, right? Just in case... he'd need to get back at her...

He had to search for her cellphone. The only way he'd be able to find out where he and Gumi had gone, was to hear it from the lion's mouth. He'd hoped to never do this... but it was deemed absolute.

He ran his fingers through her clothes, tossing them aside one by one to snatch things. Her purse was sitting on the bare ground, and roughly, he dug through it. _Come on, _he thought. _It better be here... come on... _

He'd reached the bottom, but still no phone in site.

"Dammit!" He cursed. Where could it have gone?

He turned around, and there was a giant closet. He grasped the handle and shoved it open, and there, was positioned a large dresser. He pried the first drawer open without hesitation, and out came many trinkets, including never worn jewelry. He checked the back of it, the front- the side... and until he'd gotten to the very last bit of it, where was stashed pictures he'd drawn for her, tucked away from harm... and then he stopped.

The cell was sitting there, staring back at him with such a look of crying pain. With it's hurtful looking buttons, bling, and blank cover, he'd wonder if Rin had tossed this aside in here when Miku had last called her. It'd explain why she was using his cell, other than to call Gumi.

He reached for it, grasping it into his hands. He looked through the contact list until he reached the number he was willing (or not so willing) to call. With a deep breath and a press of a buttton he ended up calling her.

"Oh, it's you..." Miku sighed. "I don't want to talk anymore, okay? I'm sorry about earlier... I still really like you, I really do... I mean, I know I'm a bit aggressive and self centered and mean and-"

"Miku, it's me." Len told her.

"Len! Oh... _oh. _Let me guess... you want answers?" Miku's voice was slightly haughty on the other line.

Len took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling the dust of her room. Then finally, he said;

"Yes." He paused, waiting for Miku's reply. When she was silent, he asked- no- _commanded_; "Tell me everything."

And then, he relaxed, sat in Rin's office chair, as Miku spat everything she knew. Her words weren't rash or cruel anymore, like they had been before when they were targeted at Rin. Rather, she'd been calm and laid back.

"I had a feeling you'd find out sooner or later. About her... about us." Miku took a deep breath on the other end. "I don't know how to break it down to you. But Rin and I weren't just friends... we were in a relationship, so per say..."

Len's eyes widened. That was unexpected. His sister was a lesbian? Whoa whoa whoa wait- no... it all made sense now. But why would Rin try to hide it? He didn't care what she did, as long as she wasn't going around breaking other people's hearts like... like...

Oh wait.

"What happened?" Len asked.

"The relationship didn't go very well. Rin and I were too similar... we broke apart, and I got so mad, I stormed out of the house. She didn't like me mentioning about you. She didn't like keeping it a secret ,either. And she wasn't the most greatest girlfriend either..." Miku sighed.

"What about Gumi, how does she play in this?" Len asked.

"Gumi's my sister, idiot. Didn't you realize that when you dated her? Rin's got some sort of trippy plan up her sleeve, and it involves that girl. And Len, by FAR do I know she is straight." Indeed Len had never realized the similarities in the features of their faces. He always figured they looked a like, but they didn't live with each other. Gumi lived with her mother who had a husband, and they were from a well-to-do family. Yet Miku lived with her father who'd be alone for several years with little to no money. He'd never even realized Miku had a sister, she never talked about her.

"Miku... where do you think she's at?" Len asked.

"Dammit Len, you know more than me about that. Where were you planning to go with Gumi?"

"There were plans to go to the magic show in the downtown area. I'm pretty positive Rin's stolen my wallet as well."

"Do you need a ride? I'm no longer mad at you."

It sounded like a lie, but Len ignored it. Miku had been mad at him for ages.

"Yes, please." Len mannerly asked.

"Wait for me outside."

"And Miku?"

"Yes?"

"Expect me to be dressed a lot like Rin."

Miku seemed appealed by the idea.

**Crossing the Line**

"Sometimes it's easy to forget you're Len." Miku pointed out, giggling silently as Len struggled to fit himself inside the vehicle. Rin purposely had left a bunch of her old "prissy girl" clothes, back when she wore dresses and high heels and bowed to fashion, and now he was strapped in stilettos and an oversized tutu. He silently tucked his tutu down as he fitted inside the car, and Miku could hardly keep herself from laughing.

"Thanks, I'll appreciate that while we get moving." Len mocked.

Miku smirked, and she watched as he sat next to her.

"Don't be in such a horrid mood, Len... I was only kidding." Miku grinned. "And pink's a very nice color on you."

"It was the only thing I could find." Len growled.

"_Right." _

"It's true!"

She paused. Her facial expressions changed. But she wasn't looking at him, not at all! No... she was looking straight ahead of her, on the road. She swerved, and with furrowed eyebrows, swung the vehicle in a curve. Len's head bobbed back and forth as she parked uncleanly next to a gray vehicle. He almost hit Miku, who's head hit the window.

Gasping for breath, he shouted;

"God, do you even know how to drive?!"

Miku chuckled, turning to face him.

"I learned with my hot rod daddy." She explained. "None the less, get out."

The two of them jumped out of the vehicle. It was an old Honda Ford cruiser, with a green tint that matched her hair. He could recall days of riding in it with Miku, cruising long side to the nearest Big Al concert, where she screamed louder than anyone else at the stadium. She'd dreamed of once being a singer, she had the appearance of one- and her voice was terrific. Yet, it never happened.

Miku broke his attention.

"Look. Over there, by the entrance." Len snapped his head in the direction she pointed. "You can borrow my coat so you look less suspicious. And you can wear my hat too. And make sure you let your hair down, you don't want to bring attention to yourself."

She tossed him a brown cowboy-looking hat and a long, long red coat that covered his tutu. He took the ponytail out of his hair, and it clung to his shoulders. His hair was the same as Rin's- and he realized, when Miku popped out a mirror out of her makeup bag- that he looked exactly like a clone of Rin.

"The curse of the Kagamines." She popped her lips as she said it, popping a sucker into her mouth. "It's quite cavity inducing. I can't even tell if your Len anymore."

Len sighed, and Miku slightly giggled.

"Hurry. Let's go inside."

They jumped into the place, (The build board read: "The Magical House of the Great Dell Houdini." ) and then lined up for a spot with the tickets. He spotted a green and blonde hat-wearing girl making their way into the seating. The two of them eventually got their paid-for tickets by Miku's hand, and tried to find a place behind the two girls. Creeping with darkness, the theater he found hit easy to find spots where Rin and Gumi could never notice him.

They silently chatted amongst each other.

"This has been such a great night, Len." Gumi whispered. "You took me out to dinner, to a dance, AND we got to walk in the park, and now we get to see the magic show of my dreams!"

Rin smiled.

"No problemo, Gumi. It's the least I can do." With a sneaky grin, she extended her hand around her shoulder. "Say, after this, shall we head back to your place?"

Gumi did a dreamy sigh.

"We can't spend the night, but you can come over for some raspberry tea." She explained. Rin frowned, then perked up again.

"Gumi, I want our relationship to become more serious than just hanging out all the time." Rin explained. "We haven't even kissed yet."

"Len, I didn't know you felt that way!" Gumi rashly whispered.

The lights came on. An explosive massive white blinded the whole crowd for just a second before turning to the magician walked up to the platform. He dusted out his shaggy white dress pants, and promptly walked onstage. Len realized he must have been albino- his white hair and red eyes, combined with his pale skin and equally white complexion shown on the big screen of the area. Len sighed. Rin and Gumi's head stuck out from ahead of them, blocking a clear view of the show. They were tuned into the show obliviously- usually Len would as well, but there was a lot going on in his mind.

"The great Dell Houdini will showcase a magical trick that will make everyone spark with excitement." Dell Houdini told. He faced the audience. "But first, four volunteers."

Rin and Gumi raised their hands. Miku raised hers, and grabbed Len's hand and shot it up into the air. He had no clue who would be picked, but if all four of them got picked... it would be a great time to humiliate her.

Dell scanned the area, and each audience member roared with passion. He scanned his finger with him, gazing the crowd with a look of dedication. Then his eyes stumbled upon Len's hat, and he decided.

"You four, on stage." Pointing directly towards All of them. Rin dropped everything she'd been holding and her jaw dropped low, once the stage light shined onto his hat. He couldn't help but grin; Rin had been bested at.

There was no time to say anything as they got on stage. Miku took one good look at Gumi, who was looking flustered at her embarrassment. Len took one look at Rin, who shot him a hot glare. Rin ended up staring at the camera, and then back at him, then back to the camera.

Dell the magician stared at him like he'd grown 3 heads. Then he laughed. The whole audience laughed with him, and they all began to point to Len, who'd been inconspicuous until now. Len flustered up with red, obviously nervous, but Rin was a much more of a plumply pink strawberry.

Len couldn't help but stare at the cameras watching his every move. He knew somewhere, his parents were watching him make a fool out of himself, so he'd make a fool out of Rin, too...

For now, he listened to Dell.

"Do you crossdress often?" He asked pointing to Len. He shoved the microphone in his face.

"Only when my sister does." Len retorted. Rin, who'd been listening, clung to her hat tightly as the cameras fell on her. Before she could completely get a full grasp, Len yanked it off, revealing her silky shoulder lengthed hair. The audience gasped, as the lights fell upon the wide eyed Rin, who'd scrambled to fixate her thoughts together. Len tried not to smirk.

"You m'lady, what do you have to say about all this?" Dell asked Gumi.

"I... never knew I was dating a girl?" She slowly mustered.

"And you, what are your thoughts?" He swung the microphone to Rin.

"Miku made me do it."

"And what about you?" All eyes turned to Miku.

"I had no part in this." She demanded.

"What about you?"

The microphone fell to him.

Len took a couple seconds of deep, frightfully suitable breathing. He inhaled, exhaled, and the light fell on him. Was he mad? Yes he was... and Rin deserved a little catty punishment. Yet he justified his wrongful delights with a little right-doing, and decided the only way to do this would be to be completely...

Oblivious.

He unbuttoned his jacket, and watched the audience giggle with excitement. Then he grabbed Rin's hand and thrust it up. Rin blushed severely, trying to jab her elbow into his chest, but his lips rang;

"I did it because my sister wanted to!" Len shouted. "She knows what's best for me!"

The crowd had inflamed with laughter. They were a flammable object, spreading across the room like a flickering flame. They descended their lines down, until the whole crowd had become delirious with happiness. Miku stared at Len who refused to let go, nor remove Rin's hand from his presence.

Rin herself was a trickling river, flowing deep within her stone-closed heart. Tiny tears fell from her eyes, in the corner of her cheeks. Len didn't know whether they were from laughter, or sadness. And Miku, stirred with discomfort, attempting to crawl away from the massive guilty laughter, with Gumi, strongly apposing her wishes. She clutched her hand tightly to prevent any word of escape, and the tealette sighed.

No one would go down without a fight.

"I've never seen anything like this, folks... someone played a magical trick on me!" Dell sounded with a merry-weather voice. The audience gobbled up the amusement with a stream of giggles. "None the less, let's get serious. I asked for 4 volunteers for a reason... yes?"

"What would be that reason, Dell?" Len sounded.

"I would like for each of you to hold hands in a circle facing me. I will count to ten, and take you on a magical journey into your memories. I would ask for any coats or hats to be removed, and set aside."

Everyone took off their coats. Len vaguely caught himself checking out Miku's Alice in Musicland t-shirt, and Gumi's surprisingly revealing spaghetti top. He could recall a story where Gumi had gone gothic for an entire day, and hated every moment of it... but he pushed it out of his mind for now. He had a horrid, metallic taste in his cheekbones as it was.

He stared at Gumi for just a moment. Just _one _moment.

She vaguely stirred in discomfort.

"Now, close your eyes and envision the first thing that comes to mind, and don't let it go."

Len closed his eyes.

And he closed them tightly.

The first thoughts he had... were of Rin. And how she had betrayed him. But he knew he forgave her... despite being humiliated on stage. He hanged onto the fact that Rin had been the opposite of facetious; she'd been dark and contemptuous about this whole ordeal, to the point of plotting out a master plan to target two people at once. He pictured his anger about the whole thing, and how it was destined to ruin his life. He was being mocked on stage- in front of all these people, and his friends. And it would only get worse.

He hanged onto the thought with a pocket of feather. And then...

And then...

Dell touched his shoulder.

"I will tell you each of your thoughts. Rin, you are belittling yourself for setting up a plan to steal your brother's girlfriend, am I right?"

"Scandalous." Miku remarked with a whisper.

"And you, Miku... are thinking about how sorry you were for breaking up with Rin, am I right?"

"Wh-wh-what?"

"And you, Gumi, just want to go home and relax, and yet wonder if your best friend really was going to kiss you?"

"Uh..."

"And last but not least, you Len, are feeling particularly forgiving for Rin, despite all the mischief and grief she had carried for you?"

"What's your secret?" Len astonishingly mustered.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." Dell smiled with a widely appealing smile. He whispered to the four of them: "Fortunately, for you, you can go off stage and forget this ever happened. I have hypnotized the audience to forget you ever coming on here, and filled their head full of magic tricks. Have a nice day."

**Crossing the Line**

At home, Len sat next to Rin, who placed the hat she'd been wearing back in his room.

"Why did you..."

"... Do what I did?" She paused, looking away from him for just a moment to settle a determined gaze on him. "I did it because I loved Gumi, that's all. Don't get all butt hurt over it."

"Rin, you look me in the eye, and yet you don't tell the truth. Why'd you look me in the eye if you're lying?"

"I wanted you to tell the truth. Why'd you embarrassed yourself in front of all those people for me."

Len shook his head quite vivaciously.

"I love my sister, don't I? You love me too, don't you? Anyone who loves each other like family should know the answer." Len smiled broadly with a slight cheeky face. "I'm just happy you didn't make Gumi break up with me."

"She's already called off friendships for me. Nothing like Miku, as I thought she would be. Miku seems pretty interested in repositioning herself for a relationship, but I'm like naaah you gave me horrible memories, I'd rather not try again..."

"You seem pretty content in leaving Miku behind, but I bet you can still be friends. Miku and me are refurbishing our friendship after all." Len explained.

"You dated her too, didn't you?"

"You date all the people I date, Rin... what else would it be?" Len sighed. "The moment they dump me, you chase after them. And trust me, at times, it does get annoying, but I always let it slide."

"Maybe you shouldn't."

"Mm?"

"You shouldn't let me date girls." Rin sighed. "You're carefree nature is what they all wanted, they usually thought I'd be the same... but when I tried to be you... it just never worked out."

"Then maybe... you should just be yourself?" Len asked.

"Perhaps..." She sighed, then looked up at him: "But it's not within my profession. I mean, everytime I've tried to be myself in a relationship, I always screw things up..."

"Then maybe you should quit worrying about it. If you do something wrong, apologize. If you get mad- let them know. I'm sure there's someone out there for you, Rin, and you don't need to hide who you are. Be you- it's all they'd ever want."

She sighed, placing her hand on the doorknob to her room.

"I guess I owe you an apology then. My temper does get a little out of hand sometimes. I took out all my anger on you, and I've might of made you pissed. Anyway, I'm sorry. I meant to tell you about Miku... but I never did. I hope you don't hate me for dating her..."

"Rin, it's alright. I know about your sexuality. Don't act like it's such a big deal, okay? I forgive you. You should write an apology letter to her, she feels bad about the whole thing too."

"I think I need to play a little Call of Duty* to get my mind off this... maybe I'll write her a letter after I'm done defeating the boss." Rin explained. "See you round."

As Rin closed the door, Len shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Not all thing go to waste... do they Rin?" He whispered.

_Notes: Call of Duty - First person shooter series, a video game made by Activision.  
_


End file.
